Daily Archives: August 17, 2013

Fragment of Russian meteor up for auction after Scottish collector had piece smuggled out of country

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A fragment of the Russian meteoriteA fragment of the meteor which injured over 1,500 people when it exploded over a Russian town earlier this year is up for auction.

It was part of a small asteroid that entered the earth’s atmosphere at an estimated speed of 41,000 miles per hour, 50 times the speed of sound, on February 15.

The meteor exploded, creating thousands of small pieces of meteorite, 15 miles above the city of Chelyabinsk.

A factory was knocked down, windows blown in and 1,500 people injured by flying glass.

Rob Elliot, from Milton of Balgonie in Fife, is the owner of the UK’s largest private collection of space memorabilia.

He arranged for pieces of it to be smuggled out of the country and it is one of the only pieces of the Russian meteorite to have made it to the West.

‘The Russian government told the local residents that they would arrest anyone selling pieces of the meteorite overseas, so my contact had to disguise the airmail package and mix the meteorites with pieces of electronic equipment to hide them,’ said Elliott.

Although the package was opened by Russian customs and several meteorites confiscated, most of them made it to Mr Elliott.

The Chelyabinsk meteorite, lot 44 in the auction, weighing 27.1g, has been valued at £400 to £600.

 

Ferry sinks after collision off Philippines; 31 dead, over 170 unaccounted for

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Philippines passenger ferry1Rescue crews have found 31 bodies, and are looking for 172 other people, after the ferry they were on collided Friday with a cargo ship in waters between southern Philippine islands, a Coast Guard official said.

Lt. Elgen Gregorio, from the Philippine Coast Guard, told CNN on Saturday morning that more than 600 people had been rescued. At that time, authorities were still looking for survivors.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Friday in the Mactan Channel about 2 miles northwest of Cebu City, the capital of Cebu province.

The passenger ship — MV St. Thomas Aquinas — was coming from nearby Butuan City and the cargo ship — the Sulpicio, which had about 20 people aboard — was leaving Cebu for the province of Davao in Mindanao.

The passenger ferry sank, but not before sending out a distress call heard by Coast Guard officials.

At least 44 people were being treated at one hospital in Cebu.

The incident recalls one of the worst maritime disasters in world history dating to December 20, 1987, also off the Philippines.

Between 1,700 and more than 4,000 people were killed when the ferry Dona Paz collided with the tanker MT Victor. The number of casualties has varied; many claim the Dona Paz was extremely overcrowded.

 

Floods in China’s Northeast Kill 25

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china-floodAt least 25 people have died in storms and floods in China’s northeast in the past week, local authorities and state media reported.

Civil affairs officials in Heilongjiang province said late Friday that the disasters killed 11 people and left three missing in the province.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the death toll had risen to 14 Saturday in the neighboring province of Jilin.

Flooding following heavy rain is common in China, but Xinhua said the flooding in the region was the worst in decades.

Authorities said the floods had forced the relocation of hundreds of thousands of residents, suspended industrial operations, disrupted railway transportation, cut off highways and caused power outages.

 

ANCA EASTERN REGION LOCAL COMMITTEES MEET WITH HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES DURING AUGUST RECESS

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Runyan_district (1)Mount Laurel, NJ — The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) has been voicing the values and concerns of Armenian Americans with U.S. representatives in their district offices while Congress is on August recess.

The ANC of New Jersey was accompanied by Michelle Hagopian, ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director, to a meeting with Rep. Jon Runyan (R-NJ-3) on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. The meeting was at his Mount Laurel district office in southern New Jersey.

“These district meetings are vital to the ebb and flow of the ANCA-ER’s activity. Even though we connect with representatives in Washington, we lay the foundation locally in the district. We appreciate the cooperation of elected officials like Rep. Runyan for meeting with our activists, who are always willing to voice their concerns and advance the Armenian cause,” said Hagopian.

Andrew and Madonna Kzirian, two constituents of Rep. Runyan, attended the meeting and brought a few pamphlets and books on the Armenian Genocide as a gift to the Congressman. House Resolution 227, the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution, was a main point of discussion in the meeting as the ANCA-ER works to increase the number of cosponsors on the resolution.

“I think the 3rd district community should be pleased that we’re meeting with elected officials at the federal level and we’re putting a face on the topic of the Genocide. Even if a Congressman isn’t up to speed on our issues, we’re making them aware that constituents are concerned about justice,” Andrew Kzirian said.

Hagopian also accompanied Vatche Kaloustian of the ANC of Pennsylvania to a meeting with the office of Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA-7) on Wednesday, August 14. The discussion ranged from the history of the Genocide to the self-determination and democratic nature of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, which included a briefing on the history of the region and the aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenians.

In the Midwest, the newly formed ANC of Missouri has been hard at work getting to know their elected officials as well. On Wednesday, August 7, ANC-MO activists Jake Varadian and John Donjoian met with the office of Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO-2) to cultivate a relationship with the Congresswoman.

The pair discussed the St. Louis metropolitan area community, including the Granite City, Ill., Armenian Apostolic church, St. Gregory the Illuminator. The fact that the St. Louis area has a sizeable population of Baku Armenians provided a solid framework to discuss Nagorno Karabakh and the far-reaching roots it has in Missouri and Illinois. ANC-MO also gave personal accounts of their familial ties to the Genocide, emphasized the importance of culture that Armenian Americans bring to the area, and urged Rep. Wagner to push for more trade and aid to Armenia.

“Rep. Wagner’s office was genuinely touched by our personal accounts and our willingness to discuss the issues important to the Armenians of Missouri’s 2nd Congressional district,” Donjoian said.

ANCA-ER has other meetings scheduled in the district for this month and into September, while some local ANCs such as the ANC of Rhode Island have met with their representatives already and have made plans to meet with their Senators before the recess is over.

U.S. Congress returns to session in Washington, DC on September 9.